


Red vs Blue: Golden Notions

by CraneRosalia



Series: Red vs Blue: Blood Blue on Roses [1]
Category: Red vs. Blue
Genre: Action, Angst, Battle, Camaraderie, Canonical Character Death, Character Deaths, CraneRosalia, Death, F/F, F/M, Fighting, Friendship, M/M, Not Canon Compliant, Original Character(s), Other, Project Freelancer, Red vs Blue - Freeform, Romance, Spoilers, Teamwork, fanseries
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-15
Updated: 2020-12-18
Packaged: 2021-03-08 18:20:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 6
Words: 17,609
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27391105
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CraneRosalia/pseuds/CraneRosalia
Summary: **MOMENTARY HIATUS“It’s because I had a team once. A team with the best training.The best equipment. And despite everything they had that made them the best, they still lied and stole and tore each other to pieces. ”Project Freelancer. A Project known so little about yet has affected so many lives in life, death, trauma, and torture. They say what happens behind closed doors is none of your business...that no one should know except who is behind those doors. However, these are the stories of the wayward souls who were choked out of their lives, and for what? A shadow. Only ever, a shadow.
Relationships: Agent Carolina/Agent York (Red vs. Blue), Agent Connecticut/Insurrectionist Leader (Red vs. Blue), Agent North Dakota (Red vs. Blue)/Original Female Character(s), Agent Washington/Original Character(s), Original Freelancer Character(s)/Original Freelancer Character(s), The Meta | Agent Maine/Original Female Character(s)
Series: Red vs Blue: Blood Blue on Roses [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2000995
Kudos: 13





	1. Prologue

_**PROLOGUE** _

****_**Club Errera, Planet Reach**_  
_**June 8th, 2541**_  
_**01:07 hours**_

Scott Poole wanted to kill his friends. They drag him all the way out to this dump of a nightclub only to run off not even three hours later. It was bullshit. He took a drink from his glass and set it back down, turning in his seat, keeping one hand over the rim of his drink. Mona had left for work earlier that day; Scott missed his little sister already. She was a disaster whenever she came home on mandatory leave, usually didn’t even stay at the house because of their Mom. 

Scott let her stick it out at his apartment. It had been a nice few weeks. She helped him with some of his work, they watched movies they hadn’t seen since they were kids and laughed until they were aching in their rib cages. Mona, for being a special ops agent, was immensely skilled. ONI was too tough on her sometimes. He hated how she came home with such dark bags under her eyes, but it came with the job. At least, that was the excuse she gave him. 

He watched the brightly colored lights as the music continued to thump throughout the building. He debated on leaving. Call a cab back to his apartment since his original ride had seemingly fallen off the face of the goddamn planet. Scott was still impossibly angry, maybe a little longer at a spaced out club wouldn’t hurt. Besides, the drinks were good and still cheap. 

“Hey man,” Scott hailed the bartender. “This place smoke friendly?” he asked.

“Yeah,” the bartender nodded to the sign on the far side of the counter. 

“Got a light?”

“Keep it,” the bartender tossed him a lighter with the club's symbol on the front of it. “Plenty more where that one came from.”

“Thanks,” Scott pulled a cigar from the pack in his khaki coat pocket and lit the end after he had pressed it firmly between his lips. He took a short breath, watching the smoke twirl out from the corner of his mouth. He was in no way addicted but sometimes he really just needed one. Turning his attention to the lighter in his hand, he flicked it on and off. On and off. The Club was pretty boring, Scott flicked it on again. His eyes watched the flame dance on the end of the lighter and sighed.

He went to reach for his wallet when a porcelain hand snatched the lighter from Scott’s hand. 

“Hey-” he snapped looking up.

“Are you dense?” a young woman chuckled, sliding into the seat next to him. “You realize how much of a fire hazard this is, right?” Scott blinked a few times, trying to process what he was seeing. He got all fluttery and it seemed like his throat was incapable of making sounds. Next to him sat some… redheaded, green-eyed daydream of a woman. The only thing Scott could think was- _She’s got to be famous or something,_

“Can I have my lighter back please?” He offered his hand, clearing his throat. He removed his cigar from his lips with two fingers. 

“I dunno, can you?” she asked, sliding him an ashtray. Scott glanced between the ashtray and the woman. He pushed the tip of his cigar into the ashtray.

“Better?”

“Much,” she flipped the lighter between her fingers and handed it back to him. “Carolina,”

“What?”

“My name.” she leaned her chin into her hand, propped on the counter. “My name is Carolina,”

“Oh,” Scott nodded. “I’m Scott,” he glanced behind him for a moment as she ordered her own drink. “What brings you here?” Carolina straightened her cash with her fingers and laughed a little, shaking her head,

“Needed to get out of my own head.”

“So you came to a nightclub?” Scott teased casually. Carolina snorted and looked at him with a brief nod-

“Loud noises are surprisingly helpful to me for your information,”

“So you sit here and listen to the loud music? Not...dance like most people at a club?”

“I dance too,”

“You don’t seem like a dancer,” Scott rolled his eyes. Carolina smirked a little and looked at her glass.

“That's a challenge?”

“Yes,” Scott joked. Carolina made a loud humming noise.

“You can’t say much,” she pointed out, “You seem like you’ve been sitting here for a while.”

“My friends brought me here to get my mind off some shit and then they vanished. I go out there to dance, well...I’ve learned not to without a partner or a friend with me. Let’s leave it at that.” He wasn’t entirely fond of this club for a particular reason. There were way too many creeps and people so in over their head in ego, they were convinced they could have whoever they wanted. Scott preferred to not go home with a stranger at the end of the night. He placed his hand defensively over his drink as an instinctive response to the thoughts that started to seep into his mind. Bad memories flaring up. 

“You’ve been drugged?” Carolina picked up. Scott blinked a few times and stared at his drink.

“Yes,” Scott leaned back in his stool. “It was a few years back. I came out with my sister and my girlfriend at the time. Mo and Sam went to the bathroom, ‘think they caught up because they saw someone they knew. Either way, it took them longer to get back, so this girl- hell, I barely remember her face because of what happened. She sat down and started talking to me, I didn’t mind talking to her. I’m a sociable person. Then she started making moves and I told her I had a girlfriend. She did this...really weird over an exaggerated gasp thing, and she apologized. I didn’t think much of it until she reached over and grabbed a napkin.”

“She dropped something in your drink,” Carolina questioned. Scott looked over her face as it filled with concern. He couldn’t necessarily pick out what was going on in her head at that point in time. He ran his eyes over her hands that were clasped in her lap, almost as if she was suggesting that she meant him no harm. 

“Yeah.” Scott nodded. “What’s worse, I didn’t even realize she had done it,” Scott brushed a hand over his chin and continued, “I had already taken a drink, and a few minutes later I started feeling bad. I stood up and nearly fell over. She helped me stand properly but then my sister decked her. I stood with Samantha for a little while and watched Mona pummel the shit out of her until security pulled her off.”

“Mona?” Carolina’s brows furrowed a bit. She seemed to shift in her seat; almost as if she was uncomfortable with the concept as a whole. 

“My sister,” Scott added in. “She had seen her try and dope another guy’s drink. So when she saw me, well...she was smart enough to react. I passed out after Security separated them.” Carolina eased back into her seat and nodded slowly. 

“Damn,” Carolina took a drink from her glass. “I can see why you’d be concerned,”

“I’m a security guard at a Nightclub a few blocks from my apartment. I had seen some shit, I just can’t believe I had let my guard down so easy that night. I think...it was Sam’s birthday?”

“Are you still with her?” Carolina asked curiously. Scott was a little shocked by the abrupt question. He looked over her face and smiled a little, leaning against the bar counter,

“No,” Scott laughed a little. “We went our separate ways after a while. Her father was a nutjob. He hated me, said I tainted his daughter or some shit.” Scott finished his drink before looking back at Carolina. “Been about a year,” he clenched his jaw for a moment- “You with anyone?”

“Cannot say I am,” Carolina smiled a bit back at him. She finished her drink and stood, offering her hand. “C’mon.”

“You’re pretty and all but we just met-”

“We’re just dancing, Scott,” she rolled her eyes. Something about how she said his name made his stomach churn. Not in a bad way...the slight southern trill that laced the edge of her voice was comforting. He reminded himself of ‘stranger danger’ but…

“You challenged me, remember?” Scott blinked once, then twice. He glanced up at the bright lights that swirled around the dancefloor before sighing and taking her hand with a nod. He snuck the lighter back into his pocket.

“I suppose I did, didn’t I? Fine, but just one.” One dance. “That’s all you’re getting from me tonight Miss Carolina,”

“We’ll see,”

One dance he said- one dance, he swore at nine o’clock.

“Dammit,” he muttered into her shoulder the next morning. 


	2. Michigan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Part One  
> A House of Feral Wolves
> 
> “Oh But you have to travel  
> through those woods again  
> And again, and you must be lucky  
> Enough to avoid the wolf every time.  
> But the wolf...the wolf only needs  
> enough luck to find you once.”
> 
> ACT ONE: Your past will haunt you

_**ONE. Michigan** _

_**Angel On My Shoulder** _  
_**Civilian Medical Outpost, Bagendure System** _  
_**August 5, 2541** _  
_**03:15 Hours** _

Mona wasn’t aware that her body hurt until her eyes fluttered open. The whole ceiling above her was blurry and she inevitably squinted her eyes against the flaring lights. They were bright, and they caused a pang to strike right in the center of her forehead. She groaned loudly, stretching her legs and arching her back, relieving a satisfying crack that rippled throughout her body. She closed her eyes again and licked her lips to process everything.

Freelancer. She had just undergone surgery that would help her body move more effectively in armor. It was similar to a spartan surgery, injections, needles; the fun stuff. She grunted under her breath and sat up slowly, gasping at the pain that struck through her body like a spear. Mona whined loudly and flopped back down, staring at the ceiling.

“Shit!” she swore loudly, her voice cracking. Was her body supposed to feel like it was getting stabbed repeatedly? Mona checked her surroundings to ensure she wasn’t actually being murdered. Her eyes landed on a nurse quickly rushing in-

“Oh my God, you’re awake,” she gasped. “Sit still, I’m going to give a quick check-up and have the Director come and take a look at you,” she said quickly. Mona grunted and watched the Nurse scurry out of the room like a mouse. Mo blinked a couple of times to reacquaint herself with the surroundings. It dawned on her that her body probably shouldn’t hurt this much. She slowly, and very painfully, shoved herself into a sitting position. It cramped up her lower stomach but it was nothing compared to the gunshot wounds she’d faced.

She swept her feet off the bed and stood up slowly, cracking in her knees. Mona hissed a bit and gripped the side of the bed. 

“Eager to be walking around Miss Ryder?” the familiar voice of Leonard Church questioned. Mona turned slightly to see the Director and furrowed her brows. 

“Last time I saw you sir there wasn’t so much grey,” she commented.

“Always a charming introduction with you, isn’t it Mona?” The Director asked slowly.

“I do my best,” she grunted as the Nurse approached her again and firmly forced her to sit back down. “Is my body supposed to ache this much?”

“No,” the Director responded. “Though, it isn’t enough to kill you.”

“That’s…” Mona’s voice trailed off, “That doesn’t encourage me as much as you think it does sir,”

“It wasn’t meant to,” The Director responded shortly. Mona blinked a few times and simply cast her eyes off to the side. 

“Duly noted,” Mona chipped back to the Director who took the Nurses’ place feeling just under Mo’s jaw. It’d always slipped her mind that Leonard had been a surgeon before he started this whole space military career. Even when she and his daughter were younger, Mona remembered asking what he did for a living every time she saw him. She tilted her head side to side after he stepped away.

“I recommend you ease back into walking, Mona,” he informed her. 

“What exactly happened?” Mona asked the Director as he turned away from her and took his glasses off to polish the lenses. 

“Oh, one of the Agents had an allergic reaction to the anesthetic we used to wake her up. We had to rush her into emergency care which delayed waking  _ you _ up. You were under your own anesthetic for far longer than we anticipated. The Director said it would be too risky to wake you up,” the Nurse explained, taking the reins and pressing a stethoscope to Mona’s chest. “Deep breath,”

As Mona inhaled deeply, Leonard Church continued-

“If we had forced your body out of a sleep like that so quickly you could’ve gone into a seizure or cardiac arrest. We had to allow your body to wake itself up.” 

“Which is why everything hurts?”

“Yes,” the Director nodded, turning back to her finally, tucking his hands behind his back. “You never received the proper medication needed to help heal your pain,”

“Which I will be giving you now,” the Nurse nodded, opening a case on the side of Mona’s medical bed. Three long needles sat in the thick foam center. Mo felt her body grow rigid as she flinched away from the Nurse. 

“More needles, Church?” she asked the Director, “Is that necessary?”

“Quite.” Mona threw him a final dirty look, gasping a little when the Nurse injected her arm. 

“Hey! A warning would’ve been nice!” she snapped. 

“Mona!” a relieved tone sighed at the doorway. Mo tilted her head back and smiled a bit-

“Scott!” she exclaimed.

“Agent New York,” the Director nodded curtly before excusing himself. Scott made an awkward face-

“Sir,” he nodded watching him leave. “I think he’s still adjusting to me and Carolina,” he chuckled to Mona. He walked over and sat next to her. “Hey Naomi, how’s she looking?” Scott asked with a smile.

“She will be just fine York,” the nurse grinned, injecting the second needle. Mona winced again-

“York?”

“We got our callsigns,” he handed her a stiff white card. “Agent Michigan,”

“Michigan huh?” she took the card and glanced over it. 

**_Mona G. Ryder--Agent Michigan_ **

**_Martial Arts, Dual Wielding, Stunt Specialist_ **

**_Locker Number 6, Room Number 312_ **

“Well then, sounds fun enough.” Mona blinked. “What? So we go by these now?” she waved the card with two fingers, wincing again at the final needle.

“Seems so,” Scott nodded. “It’s a little difficult to get used to though. Until we head to the main Headquarters, we’re all just varying between callsigns and real names. You’re still Mona in my book.”

“And you’re still Scott in mine,” she snorted. “Are you done with the shots?” she questioned the Nurse, Naomi.

“Indeed I am,” Naomi closed up the case. “You’re free to go, though York- I do suggest walking with her to get her clothes and necessities. She might still be a bit wobbly.”

“Can do,” Scott nodded. “I’ll take ya from here sis,” he stood up and offered Mona his hand. Mona stood up slowly and giggled under her breath. 

“What? Do you think the rookies won’t like my medical gown?”

“Let’s just say that some of them may or may not find it flattering. I personally don’t like the idea of the other Agents staring at my little sister’s ass.” Scott rolled his eyes. “How do you feel?”

“I hurt. All over.” Mona confirmed. “Legs hurt, joints hurt, eyes hurt. These lights are extremely bright-”

“For someone who has been out cold for nearly a week- not surprising,” Scott confirmed keeping an arm around his sister’s waist to hold her steady. 

“I’m sorry, a week?”

“Yep. And of course, you wake up when I’m out for food,” he laughed weakly. Mona examined her brother’s face. Even with the dark bags under his blue eyes, he was shockingly handsome, Mona knew that. They had both gotten lucky in the genes department- sharing a Mother had granted them some luck. 

“How long has it been since you’ve slept?” Mona questioned him as she walked with him, holding his wrist for support. 

“Eh,” he drew out the sound for a moment- “A day at most. Samantha would come in to take my place every now and again. Carolina would sit with me sometimes,”

“Wow, Carolina came to watch out for me?”

“Guess redheads really do have a thing for you,” Scott taunted.

“Hey.” Mona looked up at her brother- “They dated  _ you _ . Not me. Besides, blondes are clearly more my type anyways.” She confirmed strongly. 

“Lina is a natural blonde,”

“I grew up with her. That’s weird.”

“That still doesn’t fail to stun me,” Scott shook his head as they continued walking. “How ironic is it, that I met your childhood best friend in a club-”

“And now you’re whipped.”

“I am  _ not _ whipped,” 

“Yes you are,” Mona coughed casually. “Just like you were for Sammy,”

“I will drop you,”

“Do it, no balls.”

“Actually- it’d probably be better if you didn’t do that.” Samantha’s voice scoffed. Mona grinned

at her best friend as she approached. “Good to see you’re alive.”

“Funny, the Director said something similar.” Mona rolled her eyes. 

“Heh,” Samantha walked up and hugged Mona tightly. Mo gave her best friend a hug in return, her knees still rather wobbly. “It’s good to see you again, Mo,” she said quietly. 

“Missed ya,” Mona kissed her friend’s cheek like a mother would her daughter. Samantha was maybe a few years older than Mona but neither of them seemed to mind the family-like affection. 

“So, we all work together. What a page-turner this will be.”

“We all work together  _ with guns, _ ” Mona elaborated with an excited grin on her face. Scott furrowed his brows down towards his sister, a mischievous grin crossing his face.

“God, it’s like babysitting three-year-olds.” Samantha rolled her eyes. “How are you feeling?”

“Everything hurts. The only thing I can think of comparing it to is...going overboard during exercise. Really, really overboard. Times that by about a hundred,” Mona nodded. Samantha rolled her eyes and sighed quaintly. 

“It can’t be that bad. You were military before this,” Samantha teased.

“Doesn’t mean I can’t feel pain,” Mona scoffed out, limping along with Scott as he continued on his way. “So what all do our clothes entail? Are they weird uniforms? I’m going to assume with the Director, probably.”

“Eh, we get them tomorrow so we don’t know yet.” 

“How many people are here?” Mona asked her brother.

“Mm…-” Scott started when Samantha cut him off. He scowled at her like a pouting child,

“There are more people over at the other medical center. I don’t know names yet-”

“That doesn’t help her Samantha,” Scott butted in.

“Shshshshut up.” she waved a hand at Scott with a scowl. “There's a pair of twins, both blonde. Another blonde guy. This young black haired woman, you, me, Scott, the girl who had medical problems annnnnnd a brunette girl that turns the color of an apple whenever Scott enters a room-”

“HA!” Mona laughed loudly.

“And Carolina, blegh-” Samantha stuck her tongue out and made a gagging gesture.

“She’s just defensive. I think she’s jealous,” Scott told Mona.

“As if I’d be jealous of some fiery-headed bitch,”

“Careful Samantha, she has ears everywhere.” Mona teased.

“She can bite me.” Sam snipped crossing her arms. Both Scott and Mona laughed a little. Mona heaved a breath as she laughed again, her side cramping up. 

“Ooo...ooo no…” Mona slowed to a stop, her knees wobbling more. “That hurts,” she heaved a breath. Scott gave his sister a quickly concerned look and gently sat her against the wall. Mona slid down it to the cool tiled floor and blinked a couple of times.

“Should I go get Naomi?” Samantha asked.

“No,” Scott warned. “You’re okay, right?”

“Yeah,” Mona nodded. “Besides, the last thing I want is to be injected with more of those needles. Speaking of which, the medicine should be kicking in soon. I’ll be…” she took a breath. “I’ll be fine,” she nodded slowly. She tilted her head back against the wall. “So...names. Names...Scott- tell me names.”

“Okay,” Scott sat on the floor with a grunt. “The twins are Alexandra and Anthony. Alexandra goes by Alex though, so unless you want to get hit, call her Alex. There is another guy named David. He's a bit shorter than Anthony- he's blonde with green eyes. A load of freckles, trust me you can't miss him. There's a woman named Piper, a year or so younger than you. Black hair that is pretty short. Prominent scar- you'll know who I'm talking about when you see her. There is Veralynn- she is the blushing girl that Sammy mentioned. You know Carolina. The girl who had medical issues is Avery. Real sweet girl, I think you'll like her." Scott assured his sister with a soft smile.

“Alex...Anthony...David...Piper, Avery, and Veralynn...Got it. Then there's you, me, Sammy and Lina.” Mona nodded off. It was overwhelming. The names, the whole concept really stressed her brain which was probably not a good thing. She inhaled deeply and looked back at her brother again.

“Yes,” Scott said. “You’ll meet them all in due time though. Take it easy,” he encouraged softly. Samantha sat next to Mona and gently placed a hand on her shoulder. 

“How long do you think it’ll take me to recover?”

“With the meds, they gave you as well as the actual surgery you underwent? I’d give it forty-eight hours at most,” Samantha assured her. “I wouldn’t worry too much. You’ve always been someone to bounce back.” Samantha nodded. Mona leaned her head back against the wall behind her and closed her eyes. She lifted her head and looked at Scott with concern. Her brother looked like he was going to have a stroke if she dipped to the side wrong. 

“Stop looking at me like that,” she grunted to Scott. Scott lifted a brow and looked over his shoulder as if he was unaware that she was speaking to him.

“What? What did I do?” he questioned. 

“You’re looking at me like a kicked puppy. I’m fine,” she ensured him. 

“You’ve said that a lot now and yet you’re still the one sitting on the floor,” Scott grumbled looking over her face again. Mona shook her head and turned eyes down the hallway.

“How many of us are there?”

“Nice subject change,” 

“Shut up,”

“There are fifty plus the last time I checked,” Samantha nodded.

“Fifty WHAT?” Mona looked at her friend with wide eyes. A new type of headache melted across her forehead and she groaned loudly.

“We’re named after states. What? Did you think he just picked the thirteen colonies plus some of his favorite places to visit?” Samantha questioned.

“I can’t believe I have to memorize fifty or more people’s names. My God,” she sighed loudly. “I need to just...lay down,”

“Do not lay down on this floor,” Scott demanded. Mona slumped forward and rested her head on her big brother’s shoulder. “That works.”

“Don’t think of it as memorizing Mo,” Samantha told her, standing with Scott who held Mona tightly to his chest. “Meeting new people and memorizing are different. You’ll match names with faces,”

“Maybe even colors,” Scott spoke up. “We’re getting assigned those,”

“Nice…” Mich muttered quietly. “What are mine?”

“No idea,”

“That doesn’t help Scott.” Mona groaned. The whole concept of Freelancer seemed beyond her. She remembered back to about a week earlier when she had gotten the COM from Leonard Church. It was such an abrupt thing from a man she hadn’t spoken to since she was maybe six or seven. What did he want with her almost fifteen years later? Hell if she knew. She had just gotten out of the shower when her second in command rushed into her room-

_ “Ryder!” Amber Gale exclaimed. Mo turned slightly and looked at her friend as she pulled on her clothes. _

_ “What’s up, Gale?” _

_ “You have some sort of encrypted message from the head of UNSC tech. He said it's important.” Gale had told her. “I think you may want to take a look at this,” _

_ Mona readjusted her tank top and frowned. Tossing her sweatpants over her shoulder she took the datapad from Gale’s hands. Inputting her keycode she glanced over the million COMs she had. Mona had never been one to frequently check them. Some had been in her inbox for years, unopened. This particular one though, it had a bright red dot next to it- signaling it as an ASAP. _

_ “The hell…” she mumbled, slumping down on her bed. Tossing her clumped together dark hair out of her face she leaned forward and opened the message. Command knew better than to send anything through Mona’s COM Terminal. They knew she never checked it, so who… _

_ Her heart dropped to her feet when she saw a familiar face.  _

_ “Hey Mona,” Carolina Church waved a hand. Mo had to pause the screen for a second, pressing her fingers to her forehead. Memories she forgot she even had came rushing back. Mona and Carolina had been friends as children, their fathers were the closest of friends. Then Robert and Carolina’s mother died and Leonard locked everyone out. Whenever Mona tried to keep in contact with her childhood friend, Carolina ignored her for the most part. Of course, that all started when they were around thirteen. So why was she bothering to make contact now? _

_ “Ryder?” Gale spoke up.  _

_ “I’m gonna need the room to myself, thank you, Amber.” Mona dismissed her teammate and fell backward on the bed. She began the recording again- _

_ “Long time no talk. I’m not sure when you’ll get this, though I’m told you don’t check terminals. I’m sending this as an ASAP- figured it might get your attention.” she ran a hand through her bright red hair. Mona was stunned at the color- it was so vibrant. Unlike her natural blonde hair- it seemed unlike her. “I’m actually relaying a message from my Father. He is starting a military project under the command of the UNSC- I don’t know everything. You know how he is. But he said he specifically wanted you and Samantha involved. Needs already trained operatives. He mentioned you, I was definitely shocked. Had no idea you’d gone into the UNSC. Can’t say I’m surprised. You are a lot like your Dad. Wanting to help people and what not…” Carolina looked away from the screen. “Met your brother. When he mentioned your name I tried to think that it could be anyone, but you two just have the same mannerisms. Scott right?” _

_ Mona pressed the palm of her hand to her forehead and groaned under her breath. She always teased her brother for having a ‘mommy complex’. His type consisted of redheads with light eyes. He went out with Mona’s long term best friend for nearly four years before they broke it off. Mona knew it had nothing to do with the fact that their mom’s hair was always dyed a bright red and her eyes were coincidentally a light blue color- but she always found it rather funny. Except for this case.  _

_ “Case in point, I’ve attached some files for you to look over for the sake of the Project. It’s kind of a big deal and we’d be happy to have you here with us. It’d be good to see you again Mona. Bye.” and with that, the COM cut. Mo had half the mind to toss the terminal across the room. She wouldn’t though. Because this Project had her attention now.  _

Mona took a deep breath, looking around her room. Scott and Samantha had helped her to her room for the night. They’d leave for a facility the next morning. After some training exercises, they’d head to a ship. A very large ship at that. Mo wasn’t entirely sure how to comprehend everything. She’d been preparing to come to Project Freelancer for a few weeks- now she was actually here. Rolling onto her side, she stared out towards the wall. 

The room was an empty space, like a crappy motel room. She sat up again and took a deep breath.

“I don’t know,” she whispers to herself. What she didn’t understand was such an abrupt need to start a project like this. Leonard was a doctor, never a military man. His wife was a UNSC Marine, and a damn good one from the stories Mona’s father had told her. Allison was a woman that Mo had found herself looking up to when she had been younger. Someone so strong and beautiful, confident, and brave. She had all of the traits that Mona aspired to have- she knew Carolina admired her Mother as well.

When the news came that she and Robert had both been killed; the world seemed to become darker. Very, very dark. They were six when the news came. The knock on the door, the flags in their hands. The Covenant had seized an outer colony- Robert and Allison had been evacuating civilians. The Aliens bombed the port- nobody made it out alive. 

Closing her eyes, Mona tried to make better use of her thoughts. Unfortunately, her attempts were useless. She fell into a dreamless sleep, pondering what was next for her. And behind her eyes she rewatched the tall man in dark clothes, explaining to her six-year-old self that her Daddy would never come home.


	3. Michigan

_**TWO. Michigan** _

**_Pelican 067, Property of PFL_  
_Teragarden Colony, Bagendure System  
_ _August 5th, 2541  
_ _12:00 Hours_**

Mona observed Scott’s pained face as the pelican rattled through space.

“Motion sick?” Samantha chimed in.

“Piss off…” Scott grunted. The girl next to Mona giggled and shook her head, brushing fingers through her dark hair. If Mona remembered correctly, that was Piper.

“I don’t think we’ve met properly,” Mona spoke up nudging the girl next to her.

“Oh yeah! You were asleep,” She stated clearly. Mo stared at her as if she was kidding, though from the big grin on her face it was hard telling. “I’m Piper, Agent Oregon.”

“Mona, Agent Michigan. I’m ‘sickly’ over there’s sister,” she gestured to Scott.

“He mentioned that...you two don’t look like siblings,” She said aloud as the Pelican rattled harder, dropping a bit. 

“Different dads,” Scott groaned and leaned onto Samantha’s shoulder. Mona made eye contact with Sam who had a look of distinct annoyance on her face and patted Scott’s head with a deep sigh. 

“Oh,” Piper covered her mouth- “Shit, I’m sorry!”

“No, you’re fine.” Mona waved her hand dismissively. “We get it a lot.” she nodded. Mona looked back over to Scott who was getting greener by the second. Mo examined his face with concern before standing to her feet and working her way to the front. She peered into the cockpit, looking out the window at the front.

“Need something,” a small laugh asked. Mona looked at the pilot who spared her only a glance through his helmet. 

“Yeah, Scott is getting ready to lose his stomach back here,” Mona told him. “Er...Agent New York.” she corrected.

“We’ll be at our landing position in five minutes max,” he confirmed. 

“Right,” Mona nodded, looking out ahead. The windshield was misty from the clouds that were grazing across the pelican. Mona turned away and walked back to the main area, holding onto the doorway. “You’ll have to get used to pelican rides Scott,” she chuckled.

“And…I will,” he grunted looking past Samantha and up at Mona.

“We’ll see,” Samantha sighed.

“Are we there?” Piper asked. 

“Nope,” Mona responded shortly, “Pilot says we’ve got five minutes tops,” 

“Five minutes?” Scott hissed. “Oh my God, my stomach is going to kill me,” he whined. Mona sat on the other side of him and took him from Samantha, allowing him to lean on her arm. 

“You’ll be fine,” Mo shook her head and looked up at Piper who started to ask-

“So why did Carolina switch Pelicans?”

“Because she hates me,” Samantha spoke up. Piper blinked and glanced at Mona who shrugged.

“Don’t look at me,” Mona raised a hand in defense. “I dunno shit about her past. Though I think it’s mainly because she helps the other pilot navigate, not because of Samantha.”

“Ohhh,” Piper nodded. “So you guys know each other?” she gestured to the three of them.

“Yeah, Sammy and I have been friends since high school, Scott and Samantha dated for about three years,” Mona explained. “They’re good now though,”

“You guys definitely have an interesting dynamic.” Piper chuckled lightly.

“We try,” Samantha nodded. “So what do we know about this place we’re going?”

“So far?” Piper thought for a second, “Its cold as fuck.”

“That’s...very informative.” Mona spoke up.

“Let me finish,” Piper swatted her hand at her. “It’s also some big Space Command center. Ex-UNSC or something.”

“Cool, so at least it’s familiar.” Mona piped up. The next few minutes consisted of heavy rumbling and silence between the four of them. Finally the jets engines began to slow and calm themselves. There was some slight jerking, Mona hit her head but was far more concerned for her brother who looked like he was going to vomit. When the Pelican firmly set down, the back doors opened. Mona helped Scott stand, keeping one of his arms around her shoulder and her free hand around his waist. “Easy there,”

“God, I hate everything about that-”

“You get used to it,” Mona looked up and saw Carolina striding towards them. A small smile on her face let Mona know she was being greeted. 

“Hey Mo,” she said quietly, gently taking one of Scott’s arms around her own neck. “Sorry I never came to see you this morning,”

“It’s fine,” Mo smiled weakly. “I’m happy to see you, I like the hair,”

“Thanks, I think it... suits me better than my original hair color,” Carolina helped Mona drag Scott towards the building. A tall blonde man jogged over with a smile-

“Hey Scott, lookin’ a bit green there buddy-”

“Fuck you Anthony,” Scott pointed at him. Anthony nodded to Mona,

“Here, I’ll take him. I’m sure you’re still a little bit weak from this morning.” He smiled gently. “Glad to see you’re walking.”

“Oh…” Mona blinked a few times. “Yeah,” she nodded. She hesitantly surrendered Scott’s arm to the man. Her eyes scaled up the building she was getting ready to enter for the first time since they landed. She stepped back a few paces-

“Wow,” Piper’s voice muttered.

“It’s huge.” Mona choked out. The building was too small to be considered a skyscraper, but it was large enough to be a ‘large building’. If Mona had to guess, a good 15 to 20 stories. Around the side of the building, the permeate was fenced in by a large chain link fence. Tinted windows filled up the side, reflecting the clouded sky. Snow was piled around in scattered places around the building. 

“It's pretty at least,” Samantha commented.

“Yeah,” Mo nodded. The wind picked up and the pilot followed up behind them. He pulled his helmet off and ruffled out his light brown hair. 

“How about we go inside- it’s kinda cold,” he chattered. Mo blinked a few times, he was a catch. 

‘Shit, if everyone here is as attractive as these staff members- maybe this won’t be too horrible,’ Mona laughed to herself. 

“I’ll follow you,” she gestured ahead. She heard Samantha snicker at her and Piper let out a low whistle at Mona. They all laughed a bit and walked ahead of the pilot. Mona’s eyes glazed over the interior of the building. There was a bit of chatter inside, either extremely loud yelling and laughter or general whispering. Mona looked out over a crowd of people.

“I’m gonna go check the crowd for Avery, I’ll see you around!” Piper chirped, nodding to Mona. Mo watched her disappear into the group of young adults talking amongst each other. It wasn’t an oversized crowd but it was big enough to cause chaos. 

“Come on, let's go check on Scott,” Samantha gently grabbed Mona’s arm. Mona snapped out of her trance and looked at her friend. 

“Oh yeah,” she looked over to the corner where Scott was over a trash can. Mo gasped and jerked out of Samantha’s grasp- racing to her brother’s side. Carolina stepped back so that Mona could gently coax her brother to calm down. “You alright?”

“Yep,” Scott choked out, dry heaving again into the trash can. Mona winced slightly and rubbed his back gently. 

“I’ll go get napkins or a towel- I’ll find something,” Samantha assured the siblings. Mona nodded her friend off and gently kept patting his back. 

“God, that sucks,” a new voice piped in. Mona glanced up to a blonde woman whose hair was in choppy and uneven layers next to the ‘Anthony’ man from minutes earlier. “Is he gonna be okay?”

“He’ll be fine,” Mo laughed quietly. “He’s not used to Pelican flight. He was the same way on our way to Angel on My Shoulder,” she nodded, referring to the Medical Center. 

“Sounds fun,” the woman scoffed a little. 

“I hate you Alex,” Scott grunted. 

“I hate you too buddy,” Alex grinned. Mo glanced to Carolina who rolled her eyes and gently patted Scott’s shoulder.

“You guys are...the twins?” Mona spoke up.

“Depends,” Alex butted in before Anthony could say anything. “There's two sets here,”

“Oh,” Mo blinked.

“She means,” Anthony sent a glare to his sister, “We are. Anthony and Alex Carter.” He offered a hand to Mona. Mo furrowed her brows at those names. Mona took it firmly and shook,

“Mona. I’m Scott’s sister,”

“We know,” Alex yawned. Mona’s face flushed faintly and she rubbed the back of her neck. 

“Hey were you two on Hermone? That colony that was attacked last September?” Mona asked the twins, crossing her arms.

“We were. We were with Echo Company, why?”

“Ah,” Mona smiled a bit. “I spoke to your Commander. Your name has crossed my desk a few

times.” she pointed to Anthony. “I was the leader of the Black Ops team, November Glory. Ring a bell?”

“Holy shit, really?” Alex blinked a few times. 

“Mhm.”

“Wow! That’s kind of insane.” Anthony laughed, shoving his hands into the pockets of his cargo 

pants. Mona opened her mouth to say something when she heard her brother whine a bit. Turning 

her attention back to Scott who finally took a few deep breaths. He grumbled and looked at Mona.

“You look like a wreck,” Mo chuckled.

“Are you kidding?” He grinned a little, “I’ve hit my peak.” his voice was scratchy from the burn that probably scalded his throat. Samantha jogged back over with some brown paper towels, handing them off to Scott who quickly covered his nose and mouth. Mo helped him lean against the wall and was dragged down when he slumped to the floor. “My throat hurts,” he grunted to Mona.

“You reek,” she teased her brother.

“Yeah well when shit that’s supposed to stay in my body comes out- it’s not gonna smell good.” Scott said bluntly, hiding his mouth with the paper towels. Mona wrapped an arm around her brother’s shoulder and gently held him to her side. Carolina sat on the other side of Scott, taking his free hand and gently rubbing her thumb over his knuckle. Mona almost felt like she was intruding. 

“We’ll have to catch up later, Lina. It’s been too long,” Mona nodded.

“Oh yeah,” Carolina eased back against the wall and looked down at her and Scott’s hands. “Maybe,”

“Quite the direct answer,” Alex spoke up. 

“She’s a woman of few words,” Mona insisted. “It’s fine,”

“Your response, not mine,” Alex held up her hands. “So any idea how long we’re gonna be stuck in here before mister ‘directah’ comes out to greet us?” Mo smiled a little when Anthony gently elbowed Alex in the shoulder. 

“Don’t call him that,” Carolina sighed shaking her head, “It’s just Director,” Alex looked like she was going to say something but rather just crossed her arms and rolled her eyes.

“Soon I imagine,” Samantha spoke up. “I don’t see him making us wait out here for a long amount of time,”

“Probably not,” Carolina confirmed, “He’s generally efficient.” Mona nodded slowly and rubbed the back of her neck.

“You’ve been working in Freelancer for a while?” Anthony asked Carolina. Mona lifted a brow and frowned deeply, looking at Carolina who merely nodded.

“Yes,” Mona’s gut twisted when she said that. “I’ve been here for a long time actually. Convenient of my name to be Carolina, huh? Director figured it’d be good callsigns. They didn’t have to attract three sets of twins or siblings to occupy North and South Carolina,”

“So you’ve just been...working here?” Mona spoke up. Carolina looked at her and nodded,

“Yes,” Mona exchanged glances with her brother and Samantha.

“Ah, yeah. That...that does make more sense now that I think about it,” Mona nodded hesitantly.

Carolina quirked a small smile at the corner of her mouth to Mona as if to say thank you silently.

“Arkansas and Kansas- those two don’t even sound the same.” Alex threw her hands in the air. 

“But they’re spelled similar-” Scott grunted,

“Which DOESN’T MAKE SENSE EITHER!” Alex pushed her hands into her hair. A laugh rippled amongst the small group when someone clears their throat over speakers. Mona turned her attention to the familiar Leonard Church on stage. Next to him, a dark skinned man holding a tablet. He had the calmest face, it made Mona uneasy.

“Mo, walk with me,” Carolina said before standing. Scott sat up slightly and nodded for Mona to go. 

“Don’t worry, I’ve got him,” Anthony assured a hesitant Mona. He was... nice. Mona took a breath and gave an awkward thumbs up to the taller man,

“Thanks. Um, if he starts getting sick again- come and get me,”

“I’ll just yell your name,” Alex nudged Mona as she passed by. Mo smiled at Alex who in return winked and turned her eyes back to Samantha to carry on a conversation. Samantha gave Mona a desperate look-

“I’ll be back,” Mo mouthed to her. She swiftly walked after Carolina, “So this some kind of open house?” 

“Something like that,” Carolina weaved through small groups of people. “I’m glad to see you’re okay,” she whispered as the talking from her Father began.

“Any particular reason you failed to tell anyone who Daddy-dearest is?” 

“I don’t want to be defined as the Directors favorite because I’m his daughter,” Carolina glanced at her. “Not that it feels like that anymore anyways,” Mona gave her old friend a pitying look and squeezed past a few more people, until they were at the front.

“Hello Agents,” the Director’s voice rang out. “You’ve all met me at least once. I am Director Church of Project Freelancer. As most of you are aware, the goal of Freelancer is to ensure the survival of humanity in a harsh and hostile galaxy. We have been gracious enough to have been given the use of this facility and much more by the UNSC and other sponsors.”

“Other sponsors?” Mona asked Carolina.

“You’ll find out later,” she said slowly. Mona watched her friend’s face with curiosity before looking back up to the Director. 

“I would like to formally introduce the Counselor of Project Freelancer, Aiden Price,” The Director gestured a hand to Price next to him, “He is the acting counselor and therapist of this Project. My left hand, if you will.”

“I look forward to working with you all,” Price spoke up.

“Oh hell no,” a voice behind Mo piped up. She turned around and looked at a thin, dark haired woman with glistening dark eyes clearly covered by green contacts. She raced a hand over her lips while shaking her head. She made eye contact with Mona and proceeded to whisper- “The dude is way too monotone.”

Mona had to agree with the woman. She had a very valid point, Price sounded like an antagonist from those movies she watched as a kid. Dead behind the eyes and a calming voice. Perhaps it was because he was a therapist, but Mona noted it as sketchy.

“You will all be receiving your uniforms as of today.” The Director announced, “In accordance to every Agent in this room- you have been granted assigned pigments and callsigns to secure your agent status. I would like to add in, no two Agents are alike. The basic shades of your callsigns colors may be exceptionally similar but will never be the same tint or hue. And speaking of callsigns,” 

“Oh boy,” Mona whispered.

“You all should begin going by your callsigns.” The Director concurred. There was a light chatter in response to that. Mona looked at Carolina,

“Whoa what?” Mona frowned. “We have to switch our names for this Project?”

“No, you just have an alias now. One you go by permanently. What’s the problem?” Carolina glanced at Mona.

“It’s my fucking name, Carolina.” Mona objected. 

“A name, Mo. One that hundred upon thousands of people in the universe share with you. It’s fine.” 

“Easy for you to say,” Mona challenged, “Your callsign _is_ your name.”

“Quiet,” the Director stoked over the crowd of murmuring adults. “It’s simply for Project professionality and convenience.” It seemed like this subject didn’t settle well with the group of people in the room but no one spoke up loud enough to make an objection. Mona knew she had no interest in doing so. The next thirty minutes consisted of the passing out of room numbers and uniforms. Michigan examined the dark blue and yellow bag she was handed, room 312-floor 12. 

“Well this is just...” Mona’s voice faded.

“Michigan.” Carolina spoke up. Mona didn’t respond at first but when Carolina echoed the callsign, she looked up. “You can go by Mich, ya know.”

“Yeah I know,” Mona said. She thought a bit about the callsign and shook her head “It’s just weird.” 

“Yeah, I get it,” Carolina nodded. “I’m sure it is. We just...have to work through it.” Carolina offered her fist hesitantly for a fist bump. Mo had flashbacks to their younger years, running around the fields outside Carolina’s house. Jumping in puddles, hiding under the sinks in Mona’s house. Mo slowly fist bumped Carolina. The two women shifted and looked away.

“Mona!” A faint voice called over the noisy forty-seven-odd people in the room. Mona turned around and looked at a slow moving Scott who walked up next to Carolina and Mona. “We have to...go by callsigns now?” he panted, leaning on his sister’s shoulder. He had a tan and light grey bag sagging over her right shoulder, and his face was finally regaining its color. 

“Yeah,” Mona nodded with a deep breath. “It’s kind of crazy.” She whispered. 

“It’s gonna be alright,” Scott assured her. No, not Scott. New York. The thought made Mona’s stomach churn. She hugged her brother and buried her face into his shoulder.

“You can call me Mich.”


	4. New York

**_THREE._ _New York_ **

****_Teragarden Colony, Bagendure System_  
_August 9th, 2541  
_ _14:34 Hours_

New York had been watching Agent North Dakota train for nearly forty-five minutes now. The sniper used various moves depending on his targets, which changed every time. Sometimes it was holographic enemies. Sometimes it was physical turrets popping out of the floor. Other times it was Freelancer Staff. North shot back another turret, knocking it back to aim up at the ceiling. York clapped his hands a few times.

“Impressive,” Carolina said quietly, walking up next to him. “I’m sure he’ll thrive on a bigger floor,” she crossed her arms. York looked at her and nodded briefly with a small smirk.

“Yeah, I think so too. Will the training floor be bigger?” he questioned, turning to the young woman.

“Mhm,” she hummed, slumping against the wall next to York. “Times this size by about five.”

“Wow, that’s...that’s huge. Is it really necessary?” York asked her, tilting his head to the side. “I mean we’re soldiers sure but, just a giant empty sparing room seems a bit…”

“Drastic? Well, it’s going to be used for more than just sparring. The ship is immensely advanced from the stuff the Director has shown me,” She nodded with a shrug. 

“Interesting,” York muttered. His interest peaked when he heard more chatter out on the training room floor. His head popped back a bit and he lifted a brow watching North finish off the final turret just as it rose from the floor. “Wow, he’s definitely skilled.”

“Not shocking. Everyone was brought on for a reason,” Carolina shrugged.

“Mona said that his name has crossed her desk a few times-”

“Michigan.” Carolina corrected in the middle of York’s statement. York rolled his eyes and he held in a chuckle. She was kidding, right? She had to be. A part of York hated how stubborn and ruthless Carolina has become for the past four days they've been officially a part of Freelancer. At the same time though, he understood. She was assigned the Leadership role of the team already. She had standards to live up to. 

“Carolina, she’s my sister. I think that goes a little beyond a callsign,” York gave the woman next to him a humorous glare. Carolina examined his face for a moment before exhaling and smiling a little.

“Fair enough,” Carolina gave in. York smiled a little when his attention was drawn to the doors being opened. He looked over his shoulder at Washington and Pennsylvania as they walked in. York didn’t know much about either of them, only that Wash was a rookie who couldn’t hold his gun up properly and that Penny was in some to-be-spartan program before Freelancer. She didn’t get very far, seeing as even in the newly founded Project Freelancer, she was small and stick thin. Her ashy-brown hair was too long for UNSC standards. They must’ve brought her in right off the bat of the Program. 

Wash was a taller, younger man. Spikey blonde hair and green eyes full of what York could only assume was life.

“Hey York, hey Carolina.” he smiled a little, giving a brief two-fingered salute. “Penny wanted to come watch North train a bit.”

“Oh, okay! He should be starting up his next round in a second or two.” York looked back at North preparing to begin another exercise. He turned back to Penny and Wash, crossing his arms. “You a sniper, Penn?” he asked her with a small smile. Penny cleared her throat and rubbed her arm.

“Yeah,” she said quietly. York had respect for Pennsylvania’s shyness. She didn’t talk much to anyone besides Wash and Maine, as far York had seen. He was sure she’d warm up to the others though. A part of him was certain she was convinced he had it out for her due to the incident with Michigan. Pennsylvania, or Avery, had been the one who had an allergic reaction to the anesthetic. Overall, she was the reason Mich was as weak as she was right then. Of course, he didn’t blame her for that. York looked at Carolina who had moved her hand up to her ear- the small ear COM piece she had set in at all times was flashing a small blue light. York examined her face and lifted a brow as she said-

“Alright, I’m on my way.” Carolina took a deep breath and shook her head. Patting York’s arm gently, she gave another small smile. “I have to go. There have been some...problems in the Hangar. I’ll see you later-”

“Oh, do you need help?” York asked quickly. Carolina let out a breathy laugh and shook her head, pushing her gloved hand through her fiery hair. 

“No, I’ve got it.” She assured him before walking away. York watched her leave before rubbing the back of his neck. 

“She...seems a bit- flighty,” Wash commented as soon as the doors shut behind Carolina. York glanced at Wash and waved his hand dismissively. 

“No, she’s just busy,” York dismissed. “Anyways, how have your few days been?” he asked the other two Agents.

“Good so far…” Penny shrugged her shoulders. “The dorms are cold,”

“Agreed,” Wash laughed a little. Leaning on the edge of the windowpane that looked out into the training room. “And these suits are...kind of itchy.”

“Wait until we get armor. I prefer itchy over heavy any day of the week,” York snorted. The uniforms they had now were warm but rather itchy in the stitching. Each agent had separating colors- and none of the suits looked the same. Their suits were a dark grey zipped up long sleeve shirt made from a softer leather- the pants were similar in texture. They looked similar to what the Director and Counselor wore. The only difference was the shoulders and the belts. On each of the Agent’s shoulders was their accompanying colors.

York’s was a faint tan color, ‘NEW YORK’ in silver letters along the edge. Penny’s were a bright scarlet red color with black lettering and Washington's grey with yellow lettering. It wasn’t impossible to breathe in, so York couldn’t complain too much. 

“I saw your sister’s match earlier, York,” Wash spoke up. “Was she military?”

“Oh yeah,” York recalled back to watching Michigan and Virginia’s partnered session. Virginia had gotten hit by a paintball twice while Mich managed to avoid getting hit at all. The two women had moved like water. It was clear they were trained in some kind of military technique. “She was. Both her and Samantha- Virginia were, sorry.” he nodded. “Different teams of course- Michigan was the leader of a Black Ops Team and Gin was a marine in the Sagittarius arm I think..” York nodded slowly. The idea of Michigan going into the military had been his idea. Anything to get her out of their psychotic Mom’s angry iron fist. It had worked. Mich had thrived during her time in the UNSC. She made close friends and still managed to keep in touch with him.

York had been content with the setup. He was drawn from his thoughts, his eyes looking back out to the floor beyond them. He crossed his arms and leaned in to watch the match. South walked up next to her brother, putting on the mask that guarded their mouth and nose. North shouted for Filss to start the training round and nodded to his sister. When it started, both of the twins were _on fire_. York thought back to Michigan watching North ten minutes earlier. 

_“He was on Hermone when an alien vessel swarmed the colony. I spoke to his Commander but never met him or his sister. They offered him to me as a sniper but we already had Ace so there was really no point in having him.”_

Carolina was right- he was brought to Freelancer because he was good, really good. Some of his maneuvers definitely could use some work- though York had no real place to talk. He wasn’t big on sniping. He’d only ever done it once. Close range combat and picking locks were more his thing. His eyes eventually fell on South who was swinging her guns every which way with the rhythm of her twin brother’s gun. They worked well together, close in sync. It was mind-blowing how South already knew how to use her smaller size to her advantage. Ducking under the paint-filled pellets that were being fired at them.

York glanced at Penny who kept her eyes trained on North.

“He’s good, but he needs to readjust his shoulders,” Penny said quietly. York pursed his lips and awkwardly looked to the side. She must’ve seen him staring. He nodded carefully-

“I’m not much of a rifle guy. I usually stick to the magnums...pistols...handgun type of things.” he nodded slowly. “I admire people who can use rifles though. It’s pretty astonishing. I don’t think I have nearly enough coordination to not throw my shoulder out of place.”

“I felt that on an emotional level,” there was a light chuckle exchanged between the three Agents. York inhaled a breath and continued to watch the Twins, his eyes flickering to the board controlled by Filss. The twins had about five minutes to go in constant combat before they were finished for the day. South had done most of hers earlier and from what York knew, the Director had requested her to do a partnered session with North. They were starting ‘placement training’ soon. Whatever the hell that meant, York still didn’t quite know. 

According to Price though, it was extra training. To emphasize the skills that the Agents were assigned when they arrive at Freelancers. York personally looked forward to seeing Carolina and Michigan’s performances. He knew in his chest they would both excel at it. York had a pretty strong amount of confidence in his sister and girlfriend- they were both good at their jobs. He was snapped from his trance when a shift in the noises grabbed his attention. There was a clatter and a sickening crack that bled through the glass between York and the twins. 

“Oh my God-” Penny gasped.

“Ouch...that had to have hurt.” Wash frowned deeply. “I heard that from here.” York looked at South who kept her head against the ground while her brother stood over her body- taking out the rest of the turrets quickly and efficiently. York was swift to duck out of the room, keeping up a quick pace to get into the training room. He looked up ahead and into the locker room- jogging into the locker room and grabbing some paper towels from the sink area. As the fire outside died down- York ran out into the arena, clutching the paper towels.

“Easy South, take it easy,” North assured her. “Sit up slowly, I’m gonna take off your mask-”

“You don’t have to baby me,” South huffed. York walked up next to North and winced when South pulled the face mask off her face. She must’ve hit her face hard off of the floor because not only was her nose bleeding from her nostrils but was also a violent puncture where her mask had been settled. 

“Damn...that looks bad,” York commented, handing the paper towels to North. North nodded and smiled a bit, handing them to South. The woman mocked York’s voice and held the paper towels under her nose.

“Is everything alright?” Naomi asked from the far side of the arena.

“Fuck you!” South shouted back, “Stay over there!”

“Alex.” North rolled his eyes.

“I am not going to medbay over a bloody nose,” South argued before her brother could continue.

“It could be broken,” York pointed out.

“Why are you even in here?”

“If I wasn’t, you’d be dealing with her instead,” York crossed his arms. South furrowed her brows and huffed, scratching her temple with her free hand. York took this opportunity to approach the medic with his hands in his pockets, “I’ll get her to medbay for a check-in. If North has to carry her or Mich has to knock her out. It’s probably best that you not walk over there. South tends to-”

“Hit. Trust me I know.” Naomi glances over York’s shoulder and inhaled deeply before nodding. “Alright. I’ll trust you to handle it.”

“Much obliged,” York waved the Medic back to her post behind observation doors. 

“Thanks…” South muttered grudgingly. 

“You’re welcome. Though I do think you need to get it checked out. I could ask Mich to walk with you.” York told her simply.

“And have her see me like this? No.”

“Okay listen- Michigan has fallen on her face so many times during training spars, I’m sure she could tell you plenty of stories. I’ve heard all of them.”

“You don’t need to bribe me with blackmail on your sister,” South used North’s arm for balance. Her eyes flickered around the room, “But hypothetically…”

“Hey Filss,” York called. “Have Mich come to the arena.” He chuckled. South smiled only slightly while North looked like a weight had been taken off his shoulders. York had assumed that the twins automatically got along but maybe they were more distant than he had thought...North always seemed to have a hard time keeping South inline in the two weeks they’d been in each other’s company. She always spoke her mind or got agitated at the slightest of details. South scared York, he had to admit it. He watched her chase a staff member down the hall and kick him relentlessly until North got there to assist. He couldn’t even remember why…

“I don’t think it’s broken,” South muttered.

“It sounds like it is,” North responded. “That crack was loud, South. I’m shocked you can breathe.”

“Because I’m breathing out of my mouth dumbass,” 

“Whose a dumbass?” Michigan’s voice called, alongside her was Oregon. 

“Dang South, what happened to you?” Oregon lifted a brow. South gave her a simple finger gesture while York looked at his sister.

“Think you can walk South to medbay?” He asked her, “Maybe tell her some of the stories where you fell on your face?” Mich snorted aloud and crossed her arms with a big grin on her face.

“Sure, I’ve got plenty of those.”

“That’s what happened,” North told her.

“Ahhh,” Michigan smiled at South. “No worries, we all have our moments. C’mon. Oregon, you can stay here if you want,”

“I’m going to.” Oregon nodded, “Oklahoma and I’s training starts up soon. I should probably get in some warmups.”

“I’ll be back to watch,” Michigan gave a thumbs up before leaving with South to go to medbay. York watched his sister walk away and looked at North who rubbed his arm of the purple paint that had popped him in the arm.

“That’s gonna leave a mark,” he muttered.

“Does it hurt?” Oregon asked quietly. 

“Yeah,” North admitted with a light laugh. “It stings like a paintball. I’m sure you can handle it.” Oregon nodded. “York, lunch?” 

“Sure,” York nodded. “Good luck today Oregon, I’m sure you’ll do great.”

“Thanks, York.” She smiled giving him a fistbump that he offered. York quickly caught up with long strived North Dakota. 

“I didn’t realize your sister hated Medics so much.” He scoffed a bit.

“Well, the last one she went to, decided to suggest amputating her arm because of an infection,” North responded simply. “He...had no idea what he was doing.” North ran a hand through his hair and shook his head. “He set up a time and place and everything-”

“South decked him didn’t she?”

“What, no no,” North laughed a bit. “I did actually,” York reeled back his neck slightly. Anthony Carters- this seemingly understanding guy punched someone? York couldn’t say he was too awfully surprised- he had just watched what the man was capable of in combat. 

“Remind me to stay on your good side, yeah?”

“Probably best,” North chuckled lightly leading York into the hallway. “Remind me to thank your sister for helping with South.”

“I can do that.” York confirmed, “Have you talked to any of the other Agents?”

“A few. Oklahoma and I are staged to go against an Agent during the placement training matches.” North nodded, “Not sure who it’s going to be though. But I’ve talked to Nevada, Ohio and Kansas a bit. What about you?”

“Jersey has caught my interest. She always seems so skeptical about everything. Couldn’t tell you why.” York shrugged his shoulders. “I’m trying my best to stay out of it, to be honest. I’ve talked a bit to the triplets...Penny, Wash and Maine. Carolina clearly,”

“You mind me asking what you two’s deal is? I assumed but…” North tilted his head side to side.

“We’ve been dating for a few months,” York laughed a bit. “Since late June,”

“I knew it.” North nodded. “She seems calmer around you. She yelled at me the other day. Can’t remember why, but she did.” North chuckled. “She’s a bit scary. It’s worse knowing she could probably behead me with her bare hands.”

“Mich says you dated Virginia too?”

“I did.”

“You have a very...interesting taste in women. I think it’s something about them being able to kill you in two seconds flat.”

“Listen…” York snorted pointing at North as they walked into the elevator. York went to ramble on about how, while yes; the fact that a woman could snap his wrist off his body in a single movement was mildly attractive- that wasn’t why he dated Virginia and _isn’t_ why he’s dating Carolina. North (being a prick) decided it would be funny to mock York’s attempt to explain himself with hums and over-exaggerated nods.

“You’re a masochist.”

“North.” 

“What?”

“Fuck you,” North patted York’s shoulder as they walked into the cafeteria laughing.

“Fuck you too buddy.”


	5. New York

_**FOUR. New York** _

**_Teragarden Colony, Bagendure System  
_ ** **_August 14th, 2541  
_ ** **_22:54 Hours_ **

York swallowed as he examined the helmet in his hands. This placement training shit had his stomach churning like an ocean in a storm. Lucky for him, he wasn’t in a moving vehicle. Rather he would be given a set of instructions to follow- orders if you will. His mission? Get data set up by Freelancer at the far end of an abandoned UNSC building that was nearby.

He couldn’t necessarily complain though. The helmet he held steady in his hands was actually kind of cool. An upgrade from the face masks they were forced to wear. York ran his fingers over the extremely light silver edge at the top center of the helmet. 

“God damn York,” the voice of Tennessee is what made him look up, “Take a breath.”

“I’m fine…” York insisted, standing up from the bench.

“Who are you going against?” Tennessee asked.

“New Jersey,” he nodded with a deep breath. “She kind of scares me but I’m not too worried.”

“Most of the women here scare me man,” Tennessee closed his locker. “I’m sure you’ll be fine. Jersey is quick though. Keep your hands at the level of your eyes.” Tennessee nodded and patted his shoulder as he walked past. “Good luck,” York grumbled to himself. He was skilled in combat- he had gone to plenty of classes. He had picked up some stuff from his sister. 

“I’ve got this…” he muttered to himself before fitting the helmet onto his head. He stood to his feet and took a few deep breaths, tilting his head from side to side.

“Agent New York, you have been requested in the debriefing room,” FILSS informed.

“Thanks, I’m on my way.” York confirmed. The walk was long to the debriefing room and when he stepped in, he looked at his sister and North standing on the far side of the room. Mich turned a little from her conversation with North and grinned at York, waving. North gave him a thumbs up. York took a long breath and smiled a little. He realized they couldn’t see him and looked to the Counselor and Director who were behind a table.

“Agent New York, today you will be infiltrating a base. One of your fellow Agents is guarding the data that you are to collect,” the Counselor calmly stated.

“Agent New Jersey’s soul goal is to keep you from getting that data at any cost. You have twenty minutes to get through and collect the data.” The Director said sternly. The Counselor butted in at the very end.

“Of course, we encourage you to not think of this as a timed test. A pretest. Mistakes are acceptable as this is your first time going against someone of your stature.” The Counselor ensured with a small smile. “We encourage you to do your best.”

“Right…” York muttered. His eye was caught when Carolina walked up next to Michigan. York turned his helmeted head slightly and looked at Carolina who gave him a soft smile. York felt a wave of relief rush his shoulders as he looked back to the Director and the Counselor. “Where do I go?”

“Jaxon will be driving you to the entrance. It will be a quick drop off.” The Director nodded. “Good luck Agent New York,”

“We’ll be watching York!” North called.

“Kick her ass bro!” Mich waved a hand with a big smile on her face. Carolina leaned back against the wall.

“Try not to die.” was her only comment as York walked out of the room. He simply grinned as he walked. Upon getting outside, he readjusted his black suit’s gloves over his wrists. They’d given him his armor from the waist down while boosting the protection to the chest and back. Needless to say- even with the suit, it was freezing. York waded through the newly fallen snow to get to the Jeep-like vehicle that Jaxon sat in. The Pilot was a nice enough guy, he flew the pelican that brought York, Oregon, Michigan and Virginia. York pulled himself into the jeep and leaned back in his seat. 

“Ready to go?” Jaxon asked, pulling his scarf off his mouth.

“Let’s go,” York nodded. He held onto the rail above him as the Jeep charged over the frozen snow hills between where they were and the large base. 

“Alright man, you’re out here.” 

“Don’t stop,” York confirmed. Jaxon nodded briefly. York settled a foot on the edge of the Jeep’s door, leaning forward slightly. Jaxon swerved the car and York threw himself out, rolling into a kneel. He stood up and ran forward to the side of the front doorway. He watched the Jeep speed off.

“Agent New York, have you reached your objective?” The Director’s voice echoed over York’s helmet radio.

“Uh...yes sir.” York responded. He picked his magnum out of his holster and held it steadily pointed at the sky. 

“Good. Pick the lock and go in quietly. We will guide you from the front of the building when you are in.” The Director said, “You’re being turned over to Freelancer Recovery. Please pursue quickly. Your time starts now,” the Director clicked off.

“No pressure,” York muttered. He looked over the lock and muttered a swear under his breath. He put his gun back, glancing up at the windows above him. He kneeled down to the height of the lock, pulling the knife from his belt’s left side. He twirled it open and proceeded to unscrew the bolts at the side of the lock’s electric box. The screws fell into the snow, one of them disappearing beneath it. York took another breath and popped open the box. Wires slumped out- still connected to some of the numbers. His eyes scanned over. He’d encountered these at his past job as a security specialist…

“Yellow… yellow…” he muttered, gently using his finger to pick through the red, black, blue and green wires. He saw the yellow wire- of course tangled with a black wire. York took a deep breath and carefully pushed his knife blade between the two wires to seperate them. He lifted up quickly, snapping the wire and the door swung open. York smirked a bit and stood.

“This is Agent York, I am inside the facility.” 

“Good work, Agent York, continue down the west hallway until you reach the first pair of double doors on your right. Go into that area quietly. Watch your motion trackers,” York walked carefully, trying not to subconsciously hold his breath. He peered into the open area, noting the double doors at the far end of the hallway. The building was eerily silent despite the loud wind rapidly hitting the side of the outside wall like an ocean lapping on rocks. York slowly walked towards the double doors and nudged one open. Inside was a large cafeteria area. Dust swarmed through the light from the windows. 

“I swear to God Jersey, if you jump out right now…” he didn’t finish that statement because he knew he’d piss himself. York took a few more breaths.

“Move quickly to the door on your far left. It's a marked entry point. It’ll lead to a staircase; go up it.” York nodded and maneuvered through the tables. He saw a brief red dot on his motion tracker and stopped. He pulled out his gun quickly and swung it around. 

“Ohhh fuck this… fuck this so hard…” York hisses. He moved quicker the faster around the tables when he heard a clatter. He turned and looked at Jersey, who had jumped from the rafters. York dodged a paintball she shot at him. He heaved a breath and shot back at her. He dropped to a knee, throwing a table onto its side as a shield. 

“Dammit!” he heard Jersey yell. “Come on York, make it easy on me.”

“You have three strikes. You get shot by her three times Agent New York and your mission is failed. You get points deducted for every time you get shot,” the man on the other end of his radio told him.

“Good to know,” York grunted, trying to find the best way to fire at the other Agent. He took a breath and jumped to his feet, firing rapid bullets at Jersey. York slammed his foot into the table, watching the tables shake violently. His bullets missed, but shaking the table threw her off her balance. York grabbed a hold of a chair and quickly tugged it with him to the door. He ducked into the doorway and threw the chair under the handle. Looking up, he yelled when Jersey shot the window. 

He could almost hear Michigan laughing at him for that.

“Going… up the stairs…” York heaved a breath, moving quickly up the stairs before Jersey could break down the door. He kept his breathing steady and picked up his pace when he heard Jersey slamming her foot against the door. “CALM DOWN, YA FUCKIN’ PUMPKIN.” 

“LISTEN HERE YOU BITCH-” Jersey shouted back through the door. York grinned at the new nickname for the orange and black armored woman and forced himself into a sprint. If Jersey got through those doors, York knew very well he might die. 

“You’re going to be on the second floor. Your objective will be at the far back of the facility. The — doors — Agent… York? Sir- we… nection…” the radio began to buzz out with static.

“Oh for fuck’s sake, you’re kidding me.” He turned and looked over his shoulder. “Hey my guy, are you still there?” He asked. The radio was silent. “JERSEY! FOR GOOD MEASURE- THAT LAST COMMENT WAS A JOKE… I…” York kept moving down the hallway slowly. “I love pumpkins…” he muttered uneasily. He looked over his shoulder again as more pounding on the door started. York made a bolt down the hallway, jumping into a random room.

_ Oh I’m  _ very _ screwed…  _ He took a breath.  _ Gotta get that data…  _ He still had a significant amount of time. Fifteen minutes. He nodded slowly and took a deep breath, running out of the room. York swung himself into room after room after room. He slowed down when he heard the slamming stop. 

“Fuck,” he muttered out. The lockpicker took off in a rapid sprint towards the back room. Throwing it open, he stared at a small laptop blinking green on a desk. “You’ve got to be kidding me,” he whispered. “I’ve gotta get it out of that?” He whispered. York heard footsteps at the far end of the hallway and rushed forward. “Grab the whole fuckin’ thing it is, then.” He collected the laptop under one arm, pulled out his gun, and stood behind the door. 

Jersey’s footsteps got closer and closer. York felt like a kid playing hide and seek again. The tension was making him sweat. _Sweat._ In thirty degree weather he was _sweating._ He watched the woman’s shadow enter the doorway. York took a short breath, slamming his fist against the door with all his power. Jersey was knocked back with a complimentary yell. York raced out of the room. He kept up the panicked pace when a sharp sting collided with his back. York stumbled forward and watched the laptop clatter and slide across the floor. 

“DAMMIT!” He yelled.

“Call me a pumpkin again,” Jersey threatened. She walked past muttering something in what York recognized as a distant Japanese language. She came from a descended colony more than likely. Jersey walked past him as he slumped against the ground. He looked over the laptop and took a breath.

“Jersey, I think it’s broken.” York said aloud.

“Wait, seriously?” Jersey frowned. She turned and picked it up, tilting it side to side. There was a small rattling and she hissed. “Dammit, okay, hold on.”

“I can hold it,” York offered. “Taking off your helmet might be an easier solution.” he said, taking off his own.

“Yeah,” Jersey pulled off her helmet-her dark hair fuzzing up at the top of her bun. York took the laptop from her hands. She re-clipped in her earpiece and walked closer to a window. “Hey, Command? You there? If anyone is there, I think York broke the objective-”

York ran forward and slammed his foot into Jersey’s back. She slammed into the window with a thud and grunt.

“SORRY JERSEY!” York shouted before making a break down the stairs. 

“YORK!”  
He gripped the laptop, looking at the blinking green light on the side. There was probably a loose key or something, but the data was secured; right in his hands. York pulled on his helmet with one hand then dropped his hand to his gun.

“I NEED EXTRACTION!” He yelled over the radio. There was some static. York shook his head with a sigh, nearly tripping over the chair at the end of the stairwell. He jumped it as he heard Jersey come thundering after him. York blasted his gun at the glass windows. They cracked.

“Oh this is gonna hurt like a bitch.” he muttered. York gripped the laptop under one arm and ran at the window, shoving his body into the glass, falling outside onto the snow. He hissed a bit at the impact of the ground, but easily got up and shook it off. 

“WOO!” he shouted holding up the laptop. “PROBABLY NOT HOW I SHOULD’VE DONE IT, BUT IT GOT DONE!”

“Well done, Agent New York,” the Counselor confirmed. York grinned at the sound of his sister and North yelling from laughter in the background. What a time they must’ve had watching him do this.

“Oh laugh all you want, shitheads! It’s your turn next,” he called to Michigan and North from the COM. With a smile. He turned back to Jersey, who pulled herself out of the window with a light laugh.

“Nice job,” she chuckled.

“Thank you.” York nodded. “And you too.”

“The whole laptop? Really?”

“Look — you’re kind of scary.”


	6. North Dakota

**_VI. North Dakota_ **

****_Teragarden Colony, Bagendure System_  
_August 17th, 2541_ ** _  
_** ****_08:42 Hours_

The building that the three Agents stood outside of was at least two stories taller and half a kilometer wider than the building that Jersey and York infiltrated. North glanced down at Oklahoma, whose breath could be seen huffing through the filter of her helmet. It was freezing out on the icy landscape beyond the Teragarden Base provided to Freelancer. His eyes flitted to Michigan who pulled on her helmet a few feet away.

When the Director informed Oklahoma and North that the sole Agent they would be competing against was Agent Michigan, Homa nearly passed out and North confirmed that the Director was definitely testing him. Mona was certainly nowhere near the skill set Carolina was, but she was the closest in the Project. Which was frightening in of itself. He inhaled through his nose and recapped the idea of the mission in his head.

Three data caches. They had been given the coordinates, Michigan had not. But she also got a head start. This was her test, but North and Oklahoma were the ones standing in the way of her passing. They all had to collect the caches and the team who returned to the entrance with the cache files would pass. North knew he was skilled, and he had seen Oklahoma win a race against the other Agents. She was fast...but fast enough to beat Michigan? It was completely up for debate.

“Agent Michigan you are free to enter the facility,” Command informed her. “Good luck,”

“Thank you,” Michigan gave a brief two fingered salute to the other two before drawing her gun and running inside. North moved his feet and glanced down at the snow crunching under his feet. 

“Are you not nervous?” Oklahoma asked, her voice trembling slightly.

“Oh no, I’m terrified.” North laughed out. “South gave me a few tips though, so hopefully we have a slight advantage.” Oklahoma nodded when he said that. There was a minute of silence between them before Command came over the COM and said-

“Agent Oklahoma and North Dakota, you are free to proceed into the building, The cache’s coordinates have been marked on your HUD. When you engage Agent Michigan, please inform us so we can have a medical team on standby.”

“That is not encouraging what-so-ever,” Oklahoma snapped. North shifted his sniper rifle in his hands and took point, leading him and his partner into the dark building. He glanced around, the entrance was lit only by the blue tinted snowy light from outside. North glanced up to the bottom side of his heads-up display. He watched his motion tracker and the small yellow light that resembled Oklahoma staying close to him, watching his six. 

“Alright Command, we are moving towards the east ended cache. How is our run looking?” North questioned.

“Clear so far,” Command responded. “Continue moving, we will inform you of any new developments.” The hallway was silent except for the heavy footsteps of the two Agent’s newly armored feet. Oklahoma whistled to get North’s attention, he stopped and looked at her. She gestured to a shadow flitting back and forth in the room ahead. North watched it for a few moments before nodding to the side and disappearing into the side staircase. Oklahoma gently closed the door behind them and hurried up the staircase after North.

“Alright, we are approaching the secured cache,” Oklahoma confirmed as the two of them stepped into the second floor hallway. North turned and watched the staircase for a few moments before gesturing to Oklahoma. They moved quickly and quietly down the hallway, North watched his sectors. 

_‘She steps before she punches,’ South had told him. ‘But the problem with that, is she can mimic the movements of her opponent. I heard the Director mention that she may not need an armor enhancement because of her capabilities to copy movements. So just watch her. She may use your own moves against you.’_

North was 90 percent certain that without that small detail, he would easily have his ass handed to him by her. York had simply given him a pat on the back, laughed and told him ‘good luck,’. 

_‘Asshole,’_ North smiled slightly to himself and continued after Oklahoma. He noted each door he passed by, thinking of the ways he could open them in order to avoid some kind of fire from Mich. 

“Alright, here it is.” Oklahoma called lowly. North walked in after her and nodded to the side.

“Go ahead and load it onto drive one, I’ll watch for the she-demon,” he laughed quietly.

“Ghost is a better word,” Oklahoma shook her head as North settled on one knee facing the doorway. He kept his rifle aimed at the door.

“Why do you say that?”

“Because she is so quiet,” Oklahoma laughed quietly. “She hardly makes any noise when she walks.” Oklahoma shook her head and started the upload. North watched the bar up on the top of his HUD and settled silently. He glanced at his motion tracker. “I swear...I feel like a kid playing hide-and-go-seek again. I have to pee so badly-” Oklahoma squirmed. North had to swallow his laughter and doubled over a little to snort at her. “I’m so damn serious right now North-”

“You should’ve gone before we left the base Homa,”

“But I didn’t have to go then.” Oklahoma whispered. 

“Oh my God-” North chuckled. There was a small beep that the upload had been completed. “Alright, the second objective is on the fourth floor...how we’re going to get up there without Michigan on our asses- I have no idea.”

“I think we should just run for it.” Oklahoma told North. North stared at her for a second before nodding carefully.

“Yeah okay, that makes sense to me.” North shrugged. Oklahoma led the way, sprinting out of the room and down the hallway in the direction of the next staircase. There was a sudden slam of the door on the opposite end of the hallway.

“FUCK ME-” Oklahoma shrieked. There were a few gunshots- paint splattering on the floor next to North’s foot. He looked over his shoulder and saw Michigan racing after them. North stopped and turned quickly to look at her over his shoulder. 

“GO!” North shouted to Oklahoma. She slammed open the staircase doors and disappeared. Michigan ran at him swiftly, his pistol going off rapidly. North aimed his rifle at the gun and shot it right out of her hand. Michigan ducked under his next shot, she slid on her knees past him, snatching the SMG off it’s holster at his side. North quickly jumped over the quick slice she made with her leg to try and sweep him off his feet. She huffed loudly and shot a round at him, keeping her finger held down on the trigger. 

He managed to dodge the bullets enough to get close and ward her off from firing a paintball straight into his visor. He grabbed her wrist when she attempted to hit him but she defected to bring her knee up into his stomach. North exhaled loudly and Mich shoved him back. They danced around each other for a few more seconds, making aimless swings when the Director’s voice came over the COM.

“Stop playing with each other…” North looked back at Michigan.

“I hate to do it to you,” North said. He spun out of the way of her next punch and kicked her in the chest. Mich gasped for air and fell back against the ground. “I'M SORRY MONA!” he called, running to the staircase.

“All games…You’re good-” she heaved. 

North gave her a brief, pained smile through his helmet. He was going to pay for that later on. 

“Homa we’re gonna have to speed this up- I think I pissed her off.” 

“I got the second cache while you were dancing with the she-demon,” North glanced at the meter on his HUD at the third objective and took a breath. He looked behind him and watched the door from his place on the stairs. North stumbled a bit as they ran down the hallway, the run more of a sprint than anything else. He kept Oklahoma a few feet ahead of him so she didn’t fall behind and get caught by Michigan. 

“Alright the final objective is at the end of the hallway. Center room,” North nodded to Oklahoma a couple paces ahead of us. “There are two exits. Shouldn’t take too long, right?”

“This one is actually a bit more troubling than the last one,” Oklahoma said, “I’ll need a few minutes to undo the code,”

“ _Code?!”_ North repeated. “You think I can hold Michigan off for a few minutes? I’m good but I’m not a miracle worker,” he hissed.

“I’ll be as fast as I can,” Oklahoma assured him. North slowed as she ran into the room. North turned back to the hallway and gripped his rifle. He took a breath and fell to his knees. He leaned in to watch through his scope. It was unnecessary so he leaned back and watched the doorway at the end of the hall. He swallowed,

“This seems too easy,” he said quietly. Minutes went by and North ended up sitting on the floor. 

“GOD FUCKING DAMMIT!” Oklahoma shouted, a loud crash sound from her slamming her hands down on the console. A few more incorrect buzzer sounds occurred and North sighed deeply. He continued watching the doors. 

“What is the problem?”

“I keep mistyping and then having to start all the way over,”

“Just be careful.” North said sternly. 

“Where is Michigan? Can’t she just kick our asses already?”

“This wouldn’t be fun for her if she just came up and kicked us out the window…” North had to wonder where the other Agent was though. He hadn’t gotten anything on his thermal whatsoever. She could be just about anywhere except up here. Unless she walked outside...North stood to his feet and checked out front of the building at the window towards the end of the hallway. Nothing. 

“It does seem odd that she is nowhere to be found,” North muttered. “And if she conceded, you’d think Command would tell us,”

“Maybe they wanna see whether or not we’ll follow through,” Oklahoma offered. She swore under her breath again and sighed quietly. 

“Sitting there like a cat staring at a calendar isn’t going to change anything,” North sighed. Oklahoma fell silent.

“A cat staring at a _what?_ ” 

“A calendar…” North turned slightly and looked at her. Oklahoma was staring at him through her visor and he could feel the confusion. He shifted slightly and turned back,

“Oh..that must be the...the Romanian one…” he cleared his throat. “Just try it again, hurry up.” Oklahoma muttered something and North tried to ignore the burning sensation flooding his face. He took a breath and aimed his rifle again. Oklahoma sighed and lazily started typing again. It was a long and silent five minutes when the approval noise sounded. North whipped around and looked at the bar that appeared at the top of his HUD. 

“OH MY GOD-”

“Finally! Let’s finish this,” North smiled and stood up. It was nearly over…

Except it wasn’t. There was a low whine of the electricity shutting down. North frowned as the hallway fell dark.

“Okay, we’re starting the transfer now,” Oklahoma said. “Stay alive out there,”

“You’ll have to make a break down the other hallway,” North told her. He watched the doors and furrowed his brows as he raised his rifle. He shouted loudly when there was a loud crashing noise.

“What- what was that?” Oklahoma stammered. North stared in shock at the broken window at the end of the hallway. Michigan rolled onto the floor and looked up.

“Objective is in my sights command, set my timer at four,” North heard her say distantly. North fired at her before she could move, but she had already blown off in a sprint towards him. North fired again and spun out of the way from her jump. She was back to her feet in a second's notice though and performed a swift _Jete_ movement. The tip of her foot collided with North’s helmet. North’s face looked upward and he knew he had to make a swift recovery. 

He looked back at her, dodging his head to the side. Mich’s fist clipped his helmet and she hissed in pain. 

“ _FUCK_!” she yelled. North grabbed her by her waist and threw her to the ground. He jumped over her body and ran for his rifle he had dropped. He went to grab ahold of the stock of his gun but pulled his hand back with a seethe. Bright blue paint splattered onto the gun. 

“NORTH!” Oklahoma yelled. 

“HURRY!” He shouted to his partner, lunging out of the height of a bullet. Michigan grunted as she jumped back to her feet and readied to attack again. “Was jumping through the window really necessary?” he panted. 

“Did you see me coming?” Michigan asked.

“No,”

“Then yes,” she had a smile to her voice as she leapt forward and tackled him to the ground. North grunted when he collapsed backwards , Mich pressed the SMG to the side of North’s helmet and in return he pressed his spare pistol to her stomach. It had a single round in it. He couldn’t afford to miss. No way he could but honestly, with the way Michigan moved there was always a chance he could miss. Infact, he was counting on it. 

North glanced up at the meter at the top of his HUD lit up green.

“Times up,” he smirked.

“Or is it?” Michigan said in return. “Hate to do it to ya,” she mocked before slamming the butt of her gun against his helmet. Standing, she brought her foot down on his stomach- hard enough to knock the air from his lungs but not hard enough to hurt anything. 

“FUCK ME-”

“SORRY ANTHONY!” Michigan yelled as she took off after a screaming Oklahoma. There was some mild battering down the hallway and a rough groan from Homa as Michigan came over the COMs. “Returning to the front of the building, assets have been acquired,”

North groaned as he stood up a little, having to hug the wall for support. He walked around the corner to Oklahoma whining and laying on the ground. Her dark hair was tousled over her face as she tossed her helmet to the side. 

“I hate it here.” Oklahoma groaned, her floppy bun tipping into her face from the top of her head. “My body hurts,” she whined. North exhaled-

“How did we manage to not even think about how we were collecting the assets for her...that was so obvious,” he walked over to Oklahoma’s helmet and picked it up, taking it to her. Oklahoma tipped her head up quickly, to knock her hair back. Blood trickled slightly from her nose and she had a small bruise on her eye. The Director had told Michigan to spare no mercy...North didn’t expect to leave without some scratches. Mich was brutal. She was a threat. North was just glad he would never be at the end of her gun.

Helping Oklahoma to her feet, he helped her down the stairs. The silence between them was a bit uncomfortable but naturally it was what it was- two individuals, forced to work together when they hardly knew each other existed two weeks ago. 

“Did you know that there are apparently training outposts that we’re going to be sent to soon?” Oklahoma glanced up at North who looked back at her briefly.

“Really?”

“Yeah,” Oklahoma nodded, “They have Sim Troopers and we’re being sent at random to assist either side. Not sure how that’ll work but it should be sometime in the near future,” Oklahoma sniffled a bit and shrugged North off once they got to the bottom floor. Michigan was a few paces ahead. She tossed the caches outside and stepped out momentarily before turning around and rushing back to Oklahoma and North. She pulled off her helmet and frantic worry covered her face.

“I’m so sorry, Homa are you alright? North, I didn’t break anything did I?” she asked.

“We’re fine Michigan, relax.” North assured her with a smile, abruptly realizing that she couldn’t see past his helmet.

“Easy for you to say,” Oklahoma scoffed. “I think I need to go to medbay for my nose. When you hit my helmet, it slammed up against the bridge of my snoot,” Oklahoma chuckled. Michigan blinked a few times and smiled slightly.

“Well I’m glad you guys aren’t too injured,” She exhaled some kind of relief. Crossing her arms tightly across her chest she smiled some more. “Now you guys know what to think about next time.”

“I feel kind of stupid to be honest with you,” North said letting the ladies walk ahead of him. “For not figuring that out sooner rather than later.”

“Do you jump through windows a lot Michigan?”

“I’ve done it a few times when infiltrating Insurrectionist hideouts. Had to help save a few SPARTANs once or twice.” She bobbed her head side to side, slumping her helmet under her arm, bending down to pick up the flash drives she had tossed into the snow. She slid them into her helmet and looked back at the two. “I guess you could say that my team was rather dependable. I intend on keeping that track record here too,”

“Good to know we have someone like you watching our backs,” Oklahoma grinned and looked up to North who nodded in agreement. The truck came rushing up a few minutes later and North helped Oklahoma into the passenger's seat. She loudly greeted Jaxon who smiled at her cheerfully. Offering his hand to Michigan, she waved it away and climbed onto the back of the truck with some trouble. North shook his head. 

“You’re like your brother,” he spoke up, pulling his body into the back. 

“Elaborate blondie,” 

“Blondie…” he echoed. He tugged off his helmet and looked at her, “Um- I mean you’re stubborn. Both of you are very hard headed. No offense.”

“Eh,” Michigan rolled her eyes briefly. “I would rather be hard headed and be me than be willing to do whatever I’m told. Being stubborn keeps you questioning your morals, why do you do what you do? Why shouldn’t you?” she smiled curtly at North as the engine of the tuck began to roar to life. North watched her face for a moment and turned his eyes to the sky. Honestly, he had never thought of it that way.

“Is that the excuse you use to get the Director off your back?” Oklahoma turned in her seat, using a tissue provided by Jaxon to hold her nose. 

“It’s worked so far hasn’t it?” Michigan laughed out. North smiled slightly at the thought and lifted his head once more.

“You really don’t like him,”

“Oh shit! What gave it away?” Mich called. Oklahoma snorted a laugh but doubled over in her seat coughing. North furrowed his brows playfully at Michigan and rolled his eyes. 

“Everything. The way you look at that man is as if you’re blaming him for your whole world falling apart,” North called back to her. Michigan’s face seemed to search his for a moment before she responded,

“Well maybe he is at fault. Guess we’ll never know,” she gave a small smirk that put North on edge. An ambiguous answer. She knew how to set people off, North had to give Michigan that much. He decided against saying anything more. Upon arrival at the base, the Agents rushed into the building to get out of the cold. Oklahoma was taken away by the Medical team while Michigan was dragged off by the Counselor, leaving North to his own devices. He handed his helmet off to a passing employee who took it midwalk and continued on their way. He blinked a few times and called,

“Thank you!” after them.

“Good job,” South’s voice said. North turned slightly and looked down at his twin sister. He smiled a bit and nodded, shrugging his shoulders in a circle.

“You think so?”

“Pfft, no.” South snorted earning a playful shove from North. She laughed out and clapped a hand onto his arm. “Push comes to shove though, this is just the beginning. We’ll get better. You’ll be able to take Michigan one on one and win it.”

“I don’t know if I’d go that far but it is certainly a goal to strive for,” North wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her head into his side. “How was your spar with Oregon?”

“She’s a bitch,” South tried to escape the walking headlock her brother had tangled her up in. “I almost had to go up against _Maine_ though so I cannot complain.”

“Who did?” North frowned, feeling a deep sympathy for whoever had to go up against the seven foot giant that was Agent Maine. Ezekiel scared North more than he cared to truly admit.

“Agent Nevada,” South exhaled loudly and shook her head. “It did not end well. Poor Nevada is going to be in Medbay for at least three days.” She finally managed to slip out of her brother's grasp and ruffled her hair out again. “It still is astonishing to me how they pit such a tiny guy up against Maine of all people.”

“Well why’d they put me and Homa against a trained Black Ops Agent?” North looked at South, “I was a marine. Oklahoma was a army trooper,”

“Sounds like a you problem,” South teased. North smiled more at his sister. He wasn’t quite sure what he would do without her smart mouth around. Life would sure as hell be more bland and boring. Hopefully he would never have to find out. 

“You hungry?” he asked her.

“Yeah,”

“Come on.” North nodded. “Let’s get food, I’m starving,” he chuckled, walking a little ways ahead. South had to jog to catch up with his long strides but she managed to half jump onto his back when she did. North grunted and hiked her onto his back and continued their adventure onto the cafeteria. “How have you been sleeping here?”

“As well as I can,” South said. “I have Florida as a neighbor and he does vocal exercises at night. It makes me want to take a brick to my frontal lobe.”

“Have you tried getting your room changed, Einstein?”

“Yes, I in fact have tried. But the Director said that it’s a good test of my temper and refuses to move me.” South grouched. “He’s a weird guy,”

“Florida or the Director?”

“...Yes,” South muttered in confusion. “I was talking about the Director but Florida is pretty weird too,”

“The Director does give off...odd tendencies. Try not to overthink it though. You tend to do that.”

“Yeah I know,” South watched a few employees as they passed by. “She didn’t lay into you too badly did she?”

“Who? Mich? Nah, only slammed my head into her knee and stomped the air out of my body with a single blow.” North laughed a little. “She’s good.”

“I knew befriending her was a good idea,” South declared proudly. North smiled weakly. He was glad Alexandra was making friends, she had always had a difficult time with that. In middle school she had been bullied relentlessly by girls who had claimed to be her friend. North had always had to step in and put a stop to it. She always begged him not to, but sometimes it got violent. North always felt as though he was obligated as her twin brother to keep her safe. She complained and yelled at him for it, but at the end of the day she always thanked him. 

He had flashbacks to going to the nearby diner after school when South had been slammed into nearby lockers. He bought her a milkshake and they ate plates of fries until they felt like they couldn’t move. There was always a benefit to having an Uncle as a chef and owner in a small town. North had carried her on his back all the way home. Alex had been Anthony’s best friend ever since they were kids. He knew her and he knew her well. How she acted, how she would act...When she said she wanted to be a trooper, North had already been looking into the military. His parents were so supportive...He missed them.

“When was the last time you spoke to Mom?” North asked his sister, who drummed her fingers on the top of his head.

“Um...two weeks ago I think? What about you?”

“Too long…” North breathed. “I should probably call her soon,”

“Yeah, that’s probably a good idea,” South told him. “She misses you.”

“How’s the dance studio?”

“Still thriving,” South nodded. “They apparently had an influx of kids. You know how Mom is, that studio will live as long as she does,” North laughed at that comment. Their Mother opened a dance studio when she was nineteen, now she was forty-seven years old and still made the effort to teach kids to dance and build passion in the artform. Luica Carters was a kind woman, she taught Anthony true kindness...caring about people while still being a feisty and teasingly arrogant person. Alex adored their mother, she was a Momma’s girl, though she would never admit it. 

“Yeah, you’re right.” North said approaching the cafeteria and setting South down outside the doors. He patted her shoulder and opened the door to let her walk in. South limboed dramatically under his arm and grinned over her shoulder before walking all the way in. North rolled his eyes before following her in. He glanced to the side and glanced over a bright blue screen on the far side of the room. It had the large Freelancer symbol on it spinning slowly. North looked it over curiously-

“NORTH! COME HERE!” South demanded. North blinked out of his dazed state and turned slightly to join his sister.

“Coming…I’m coming…” he waved her off. Glancing back at the electronic board he gave a once over again before shaking his head and jogging to meet up with South. It couldn’t be anything too important...probably just an announcement screen. 


End file.
